ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates the first ever ‘BIMSTEC Ports’ Conclave’ in Vishakhapatnam, AP
MoUs signed for furthering Trade Cooperation between 3 Indian Ports and Port Authority of Thailand 
The first ever BIMSTEC Conclave of Ports, being held at Vishakhapatnam on 7-8 November, 2019 was inaugurated by Minister of State for Shipping, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya today.The conclave aims at providing a platform to strengthen maritime interaction, port-led connectivity initiatives and sharing best practices among member countries. Providing Connectivity is one of the key priorities among BIMSTEC countries.
While inaugurating the Conclave , Shri Mansukh Mandaviya reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR highlighting the motto of “ Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas ” that provides Peace, Prosperity and Security for all in the Region.The Minister also expressed that India is keen on forging deep relations with BIMSTEC Member States. The first BIMSTEC Conclave of Ports will go a long way in promoting the same, the Minister added.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Youth Advancement, Govt of Andhra Pradesh Shri M S Rao, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Information Technology, Govt of Andhra Pradesh Shri MG Reddy along with Member of Parliament from Vishakhapatnam Shri M.V.V. Satyanarayana also attended the Conclave.
Three Memorandums of Understanding  have been signed between Ranong Port  and the Port Trusts of Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata during the Conclave today. These MoUs will contribute to BIMSTEC objectives of strengthening connectivity and is part of India’s Act East Policy. These MoUs will enhance connectivity between ports on Thailand’s West Coast and Ports on India’s East Coast i.e. Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata. These MoUs will enhance economic partnership by cutting down the sea travel time between India and Thailand from 10- 15 days to 7 days.
India attaches great importance to bay of Bengal initiatives for multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation  which links five countries from south Asia  and two from South East Asia  .
The BIMSTEC region brings together 167 billion people together 22% of world population and a combined GDP of US $3.71 Trillion. Four BIMSTEC Summits have been held so far, the earlier ones at Kathmandu on 30-31 August 2018 , 2008 , 2014 . A ‘BIMSTEC Outreach Summit and Leader’s summit’ was held in Goa in 2016. The BIMSTEC Leaders had also participated in the swearing -in ceremony of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at New Delhi on 30th May 2019.
Department of Space
Centre says, Kalpana Chawla Centre for Research in Space Science and Technology was inaugurated at Chandigarh University in January, 2022, with the objectives of training students in space science, satellite development, meet future challenges in space research
The Government today informed that Kalpana Chawla Centre for Research in Space Science and Technology  was inaugurated at Chandigarh University on January 03, 2022, with the objectives of training students in space science, satellite development, meet future challenges in space research ensuring India’s leading position in future technologies.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today, Union Minister of State  Science & Technology; Minister of State  Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that ISRO identified space technologies are available for transfer to interested & qualified industries through Technology Transfer mechanism. As approved by the Union Cabinet, the space sector is unlocked for non-governmental private entities including sharing technical facilities based on the demand.
The Minister said that for strengthening the space sector of the country, Department of Space has established incubation cells & Space Technology cells to encourage R&D in space science, technology & applications at several premier institutes across the country. Department of Space sponsors R&D projects in the focused areas of space to the interested academia across the country. Department of Space has formulated the Indian Space Policy, 2022 for engagement of NGEs in the space activities.
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SNC/RR
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Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Under BIS Foreign Manufacturers certification scheme, 29 licenses granted to foreign toy manufacturing units, no license to any unit in China
The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha that, the Safety of Toys is under compulsory Bureau of Indian Standard  certification from 1st Jan. 2021 as per the Toys  Order, 2020 issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry  under Section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016.
Accordingly, as per this Order, it has been made compulsory for toys to conform to the corresponding Indian Standards for Safety of Toys and to bear Bureau of Indian Standards  Standard Mark under a licence from BIS as per Scheme-I of Schedule-II of BIS  Regulations, 2018.
As per this Quality Control Order, read with Section 17 of the BIS Act, 2016, no person shall manufacture, import, distribute, sell, hire, lease, store or exhibit for sale any toys without the ISI mark.
Under the BIS Product Certification scheme i.e. Scheme-I of Schedule-II of the BIS  Regulations, 2018, Licence is granted to manufacturing units to use the Standard Mark on the product as per the relevant Indian Standards. Accordingly, toy manufacturing units including foreign manufacturing units exporting toys to India are required to obtain BIS licence for safety of toys.
Under BIS Foreign Manufacturers certification scheme, 29 licences have been granted to foreign toy manufacturing units in the following countries .
3 licences have been granted in 2021-22 and the remaining 26 in 2022-23. No licence has been granted to any unit in China.
Table 1: List of foreign licences granted for toy
|
|
Country
|
|
Licence granted
|
|
1. Hungary
|
|
2
|
|
2. Indonesia
|
|
3
|
|
3. Malaysia
|
|
4
|
|
4. Thailand
|
|
2
|
|
5. Vietnam
|
|
16
|
|
6. Sri Lanka
|
|
1
|
|
7. Czech Republic
|
|
2
|
|
Total
|
|
30
Quality Control Order for Toys came into effect on 01.01.2021, after which Search and Seizures were conducted by BIS. No information regarding fake/imported Toys was available till such time. During the search and seizure operations conducted by BIS, a quantity of 9565 and 30229 was seized during the year 2021-22 and 2022-23 (upto 25th January, 2023 respectively.
Total no. of 40 and 60 Search and Seizure operations during 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively have been carried for Violation of Quality Control Order  for toys.
President's Secretariat
Today, India is not just a market, but is also a land of immense opportunities for the whole world, including in the Defence Sector: President Kovind
President of India addresses the valedictory function of the Aero India-21
Today, India is not just a market, but is also a land of immense opportunities for the whole world, including in the defence sector, said the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind. He was addressing the valedictory function of the Aero India-21 in Bengaluru today . The President said that Aero India 2021 is a living proof of India's ever-growing strength in the defence and aerospace sectors at the global level. The event has exhibited that the global confidence in India’s capabilities is growing steadily.
The President said that the reforms initiated in India in the last six years offer unprecedented opportunities to investors and private companies in the defence and aerospace sectors. We have taken a number of policy initiatives aimed at placing India among the top nations in the defence sector with twin objectives of self-reliance and export promotion.
The President said that the government is focused on promoting the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ to encourage manufacturers to set up units in India. The defence sector has also been witnessing steady liberalisation. Industrial licensing requirements have been eliminated for a number of items. The processes for industrial licence and export authorisations have been simplified and made on-line. To facilitate establishment of defence industries and give impetus to the MSMEs, two defence corridors have been established in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. All these efforts are expected to unleash a huge potential of job creation in the country while taking India onto the path of self-reliance in defence production.
Referring to the Conclave of Defence Ministers of Indian Ocean Region, on the theme of ‘Enhanced Peace, Security, and Co-operation in the Indian Ocean’ which was organised on the margins of Aero India 2021, the President said that India has always been an ardent advocate of universal peace and development. IOR is an important region because of its rich natural resources and strategic location. We have floated the idea of ‘SAGAR’ which stands for ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’, to promote co-operation in the Indian Ocean Region. It is important that IOR nations focus on fostering political, economic, cultural and defence co-operation.
The President said that India has always been ready to share our expertise and resources with all IOR nations for planning and coordination in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. After the Covid-19 outbreak, under Operation SAGAR 1 we reached out to our neighbours and assisted them with medical teams, medicines as well as diagnostic kits, ventilators, masks, gloves and other medical supplies. In keeping with India’s stated commitment to use its vaccine production and delivery capacity to help the entire humanity fight the Covid-19 pandemic, supplies under grant assistance to our friendly foreign nations have already begun, he stated.
Click here to see the President's speech
Prime Minister's Office
Bilateral Meeting between Prime Minister and President of France on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders Summit
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with the President of France, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy on 30 October 2021.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the state of the wide-ranging India-France Strategic Partnership.
Prime Minister also welcomed the European Union’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, released in September 2021, and thanked the French President for France’s leadership role in the same. The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate in the Indo-Pacific and to find new and innovative ways to contribute towards a free, open and rules-based order in the region.
The two leaders discussed the forthcoming COP26 and the need to focus on issues of climate finance.
Prime Minister also invited President Macron to visit India at the earliest opportunity.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Startup India Tableau in Republic Day 2020
Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade , Ministry of Commerce and Industry will showcase a tableau on Startup India in this year’s Republic Day Parade at Rajpath in New Delhi. The tableau on the theme Startups: Reach for the Sky will showcase stages of the lifecycle of a startup and the all-round support provided by the Government in this journey. The tableau will depict how ideas come to life and how the innovations that emerge positively affect lives of the citizens of India.
The front of the tableau depicts a creative mind, full of ideas to solve real world problems. The Startup India Tree, in the middle, represents the different kinds of support given to startups. The staircase denotes the stages of growth – proving a concept, creating a prototype, preparing a business plan, building a team, launching into markets and eventually scaling up. The wheel at the rear depicts sectors of economy where Indian entities have driven economic growth and created employment opportunities on a large scale. The map of India represents the spread of the startup movement, steadily reaching the semi-urban and rural areas. The wheel and the map together depict the width and the depth of the Startup India movement in the country.
Startup India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to build a strong ecosystem to nurture innovation, drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. The objective of Startup India is to inspire and motivate the youth of India to follow their dreams to generate wealth and become job creators and not just job seekers.
The Startup India Action Plan, launched on 16th of January 2016, has stirred entrepreneurial spirit across the country. Under the Startup India Scheme, eligible companies can get recognized as startups by DPIIT in order to access a host of tax benefits, easier compliance, IPR fast tracking and other benefits. More than 26,000 startups from 551 districts of 28 States and 7 Union Territories have been recognized in this period. Working across IT, Industry 4.0, education, healthcare, agriculture, energy, finance, space, defence and all other sectors of economy, Indian startups have attracted substantial global investments and created more than 2,91,000 jobs.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
MSDE Concludes Special Campaign 2.0
132 public grievances disposed of, 67975 files were disposed of and weeded out, and 13032 e-files were closed
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship  undertook the Special Campaign 2.0 with a focus on Swachhata, reducing pendency and achieving space management from 2nd October, 2022 to 31st October, 2022. The campaign was organised into two phases: the preparatory phase from 14th September, 2022 to 30th September, 2022 and the implementation phase from 2nd October, 2022 to 31st October, 2022, covering 11 parameters for the successful execution of the cleanliness campaign. The Special Campaign focused on field/outstation offices in addition to the ministries, departments, and their subordinate offices.
As part of the campaign, MSDE contributed to finalizing campaign sites, sensitizing nodal officers, identifying pendency in selected categories, disposing of scrap, and managing records in accordance with established procedures. With enthusiastic participation, regular monitoring, and active involvement with the field team, MSDE ensured the effective execution of the campaign. The campaign was also successfully carried out in all institutions, including ITIs, JSS, PMKK, offices of MSDE, NCVET, DGT, NIMI, IIE, NSDC, NIESBUD, Autonomous Institutes, RDSDE, CSTARI, and NSTI, among others.
Through the campaign, 132 public grievances were disposed of and a total of 28629 physical files were reviewed. Furthermore, 67975 files were disposed of and weeded out, and 13032 e-files were closed. Around 12901 cleanliness campaigns were conducted in all. A total of 39123 square feet of space was freed, and INR 1739509 was earned.
Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said that MSDE has faithfully pursued this Swachhata campaign 2.0. The campaign's progress was regularly posted on the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances  website, further promoting PM Modi’s vision of a Swachchh Bharat. The Ministry has met the goals established for the campaign and achieved outstanding success and emphasized the need for the campaign to be run periodically, he added.
Prime Minister's Office
PM praises Assam’s journey of PM Janaushadhi Pariyojna
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over the progress of PM Janaushadhi Pariyojna in Assam.
Responding to a tweet by MP Queen Oja, the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Law and Justice
PROMOTION OF REGIONAL LANGUAGES IN COURTS
Article 348 of the Constitution of India states that all proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High Court, shall be in English language. Clause  of the Article 348 of the Constitution states that notwithstanding anything in sub-clause  of clause , the Governor of a State may, with the previous consent of the President, authorize the use of Hindi Language, or any other language used for any official purposes of the State, in proceedings in the High Court having its principal seat in that State.
The Cabinet Committee’s decision dated 21.05.1965 has stipulated that consent of the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India be obtained on any proposal relating to use of a language other than English in the High Court.
The use of Hindi in the proceedings of High Court of Rajasthan was authorized under clause  of Article 348 of the constitution in 1950. After the Cabinet Committee’s decision dated 21.05.1965 as mentioned above, the use of Hindi was authorized in the High Courts of Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh  and Bihar  in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
Government of India had received proposals from the Government of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Karnataka to permit use of Tami, Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali and Kannada in the proceedings of the Madras High Court, Gujarat High Court, Chhattisgarh High Court, Calcutta High Court and Karnataka High Court respectively. The advice of Chief Justice of India was sought on these proposals and it was intimated that the Full Court of the Supreme Court after due deliberations, decided not to accept the proposals.
Based on another request from the Government of Tamil Nadu, the Government requested the Chief Justice of India to review the earlier decisions in this regard and convey the consent of the Supreme Court of India. The Chief Justice of India conveyed that the Full Court, after extensive deliberations decided not to approve the proposal and reiterated the earlier decisions of the Hon’ble Court.
Under the aegis of the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Bar Council of India has constituted ‘BharatiyaBhashaSamiti’ chaired by former Chief Justice of India, Hon’ble Mr. Justice S.A. Bobde. The committee is developing a Common Core Vocabulary close to all Indian languages for the purpose of translating legal material into regional languages. In addition, Legislative Department of Ministry of Law and Justice has prepared a legal glossary of 65,000 words in Hindi for digitization and making available in public domain in searchable format for the usage of all.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Law & Justice, Shri Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Finance
BIT claims against India dismissed
An International Arbitration Tribunal has dismissed all claims brought against Republic of India in entirety.
The arbitration arose out of the cancellation of Letters of Intent for the issuance of telecommunications licences to provide 2G services in five telecommunications circles in India by reason, inter alia, of India’s essential security interests.
On July 19, 2019, the Tribunal constituted in accordance with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law  Arbitration Rules 1976, seated at the Hague, Netherlands, and proceedings administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague, Netherlands, rendered its Award in the arbitration brought by Tenoch Holdings Limited , Mr Maxim Naumchenko  and Mr Andrey Poluektov  against the Republic of India under the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of India for the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments, and the Agreement between the Government of Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus for the Mutual Promotion and Protection of Investments.
All claims were dismissed in their entirety.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Carpooling and Shared Mobility Regulations
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has issued the Motor Vehicle Aggregators Guidelines, 2020 in accordance with section 93 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, for the compliance of all States/UTs on 27th November, 2020. These guidelines provide a guiding framework to the State/UT Governments to consider for issuance of license as well as regulating the business being conducted by such Aggregators. Provision has been made in the guidelines with regards to Ride pooling as per para 11 of the Guidelines.
Road Transport is a State Subject and as such, initiatives for planning and management of sustainable urban transport system, including steps to address the problem of traffic congestion on roads etc, are taken by the respective cities/States/UTs.
A study has been carried out for Delhi-NCR funded by Department of Heavy Industries , Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India by TERI-ARAI in the year 2018 which reveals that during winter months, transport sector contributes 28% and 24% to PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. Similarly, during summer months, transport sector contributes 17% and 15% to PM2.5 and PM10, respectively.
Commission for Air Quality Management  in NCR & Adjoining Areas has framed a Policy to Curb Air Pollution in the National Capital Region which includes strategies for pollution control from various sectors including transportation.
Further, as per Graded Response Action Plan , State Governments in NCR and GNCTD and concerned agencies are directed to encourage offices to start unified commute for employees to reduce traffic on road, augment CNG / electric bus and metro services by procuring additional fleet and increasing the frequency of service, and introduce differential rates to encourage off peak travel.
Further, citizens are requested to use public transport and minimize use of personal vehicles, choose a cleaner commute - share a ride to work or use public transport or walk or cycle, combine errands and reduce trips.
Also, Government has launched National Clean Air Programme  to improve air quality across the country.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
PIB Headquarters
BSNL to provide pre-loaded SIM to Amarnath Yatries
The Jammu and Kashmir circle of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited  has made special arrangement to provide smooth connectivity for communication requirements of yatris undertaking the pilgrimage to holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, from 01.07.2019 to 15.08.2019.
Since prepaid connections of other states are not allowed to work in J&K, special pre-loaded Yatra SIMs are being provided by BSNL with the approval of Ministry of Home Affairs /DOT. The cost of the Yatra SIMs is Rs.230/- with 20,000 sec free talk time and 1.5 GB free data usage and validity of ten days. Since large number of pilgrims is expected, voice and SMS have given priority over data.
For obtaining the BSNL pre-loaded Yatra SIM card, valid documents such as Proof of Address, Proof of Identity and applicant's photograph are required to be submitted by the Yatries along with a photo copy of counter foil of Registration Slip issued by SASB which shall be considered as local reference.
The BSNL pre-loaded Yatra SIM cards are available for the Yatries at tourist reception centre Lakhanpur Base Camp, Bagwati Nagar Jammu Base Camp, Main Exchange Building CSC Kachi Chawni Jammu, Main Exchange Building, CSC, Trikuta Nagar, Near RBI building, Jammu, Base Camps at Baltal and Pahalgam, Tourist Reception Centre, Nowgam, Near Railway station, Srinagar. Yatries are requested to purchase the BSNL, pre-loaded Yatra SIM cards only at these designated counters
For detailed information please visit our website http://www.jandk.bsnl.co.in/Yatra.html